PATTI's SEARCH FOR POOKA
(sample page)

As
the bus turned the corner Patti could see her house at the end of the road.
She was home at 3:15 p.m. everyday and everyday like clockwork Pooka was
sitting in the front window waiting for her. They had been best of friends
as long as Patti could remember. Pooka had always been there for her. As the
bus pulled up to the curb Patti realized that Pooka wasn’t in the window
waiting. ‘That was strange. Pooka has always been there before. " She
thought. Patti went inside hoping that Pooka would greet her inside with his
meows and purring, but when she entered nothing. She then went to her
bedroom thinking, "Well maybe he’s asleep and forgot. He was getting old."
Hoping to find him there she entered her room and called his name. "Pooka,
Pooka." But nothing, no response, no Pooka. "Where could he be?" Patti
thought. So she looked all through the house. She looked in all his favorite
spots, under the bed, in her closet, in the kitchen chairs and in the
cupboard. He was no where to be found. The only thing she could figure was
that he got out. "Out of the house! Oh no, he would be lost for sure." He
had always stayed inside and never was let out. She would just have to go
look for him outside. She looked all through the yard, front and back, under
the bushes and in the trees. Still he was no where to be found. She then
decided to go into the woods behind her house. She wasn’t allowed to go
there by herself. Her mom and dad told her to always be with an older
person. Not to ever go into the woods by herself, she could get lost or
worst she could get hurt. But this was an emergency. What if Pooka was hurt
or lost and couldn’t find his way back home. She had to venture there and
find him. She had to help her best friend. So with that she re-entered her
house gathered up some things and packed them into her book bag and stepped
onto the path and began her search through the woods.

(How ‘bout giving me those snacks ya got there.)

She had been walking
for awhile when she saw something moving in the bushes up ahead. ‘Pooka is
that you? I have your favorite snack.’ She said. But to her surprise a
little raccoon popped out. He had been foraging for food all day. "I’m not
this Pooka fella ya talk’n about but I’ll take some of those snacks." Patti
jumped back for a second, "Wait a minute, animals don’t talk." She said.........